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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Besides filming "The Freemason" this month, and attending conventions as far flung as Dubai, UAE, and Vancouver, BC, Sean Astin has apparently been working on the action movie "Extraction" with Vinnie Jones and Danny Glover.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sean Astin will also appear in Fujieda, Shizuoka, on May 3, in addition to the Hollywood Collectors Convention in Tokyo on May 5-6. Robert Englund will be joining Sean in both locations. More information on the new event at http://www.cineprego.jp (English translation here).

Friday, April 26, 2013

Sean Astin took some time from his busy filming schedule on The Freemason to meet with Warren Workman and his film students from the Salt Lake City Community College. The students had the opportunity to ask Sean questions about a variety of topics from his favorite role, to what he likes most about working on set, to the problems in juggling career and family. They videoed his responses for Filmed in Utah.

Sunday was a short day at the Expo for Sean. Before heading to the show, he ran the Vancouver Sun Run 10K in support of Boston (photos and videos here). But still he had time to sign autographs, meet with fans and do the usual photo ops. Here are a few of the photos:

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Here is a collection of short videos from day one at the Fan Expo Vancouver. Sean is on a short break from filming "The Freemason" in Salt Lake City UT. He is running in the Vancouver Sun Run 10K this morning!

Sean talks about runners protecting the city of Vancouver and more:

Sean wishes Dale a happy 50th birthday and asks for advice for his new role in "The Surgeon General."

Sean answers questions at the Q&A, talking about his former Goonies costars, and his role in Harrison Bergeron.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

I'm heading up to Canada today to participate in the Vancouver Sun Run. Tiffany Crawford a reporter from the Vancouver Sun tells me that over 50,000 people will show up. This'll be the largest group of people I have ever run with by nearly double.

It is a strange and surreal time to be alive. Since the second world war, television has brought people close together in times of joy and tragedy. As a boy I remember moments like the space shuttle Challenger disaster and the assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan and the death of Elvis... I remember the 1984 Olympics, the television show Roots, the birth of MTV. These shared experiences made me feel totally connected to the world. Each Community National Television "event" left me feeling closer to everyone, entitled to stand taller as an informed citizen and thoughtful human being. As an actor, "emotions" are tools of my trade. I come from a family of talkers and feelers. We SHARE. We don't seem to know any other way to resolve conflict until everyone has taken a heartfelt journey through the range of emotions that we all are feeling, arriving on the other side of a family gathering, relieved, exhausted, satisfied. When I was a kid, we didn't merely listen to stories, we joined them. For us, being an audience member carried immense responsibility. It is a selfish way to be, but somehow any other way of being feels lazy or ungrateful.

Now, what insanity befalls people like me when we have instant shared access to the world. Now, every breath from every person in the world is shared. National & International events are not meant to be experienced and internalized as a moment to be related to one another as we walk through life. Now, we can affect everything! Walking on the moon isn't a performance to be marveled at, it's an opportunity to tweet with the astronauts.

Friday, April 19, 2013

"Lord of the Rings star and avid long distance runner Sean Astin has signed up to run The Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, and will be wearing a Boston jersey in homage to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Goonies actor will arrive in Vancouver Friday for the Fan Expo at the Vancouver Convention Centre on the weekend.

He contacted Sun Run organizers to register when he found out about the race and its plans to commemorate the Boston terror attacks Monday that left three people dead, including an eight-year-old boy, and more than 170 injured."

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin, 42, told Ahlan! it was “bittersweet” not to reprise his role of Samwise in new movie, The Hobbit.

Sean, who made The Goonies when he was 13, said: “I knew Samwise didn’t exist in the book and it would be pretty hard to shoehorn him into the film. They knew I would do it if they asked me to, even though it would be strange putting on that costume again after 12 years.”

"When Sean Astin, veteran Hollywood actor of over 30 movies including The Goonies, and Rudy, landed the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, he knew it was going to be different to anything he'd ever worked on before. Here he shares his heartfelt opinions on his early movies, how he got the part of Sam at that point in his career, and what it was like to be on set for nearly two years of his life. How did he and the other cast members get along? What were the excitements and the dangers they faced during filming? What happened the evening that Elijah Wood lost the keys to his room? How did Sir Ian McKellen cope when he didn't like the music the hobbits listened to during make-up and what happened when the crew considered striking?Revealing and immensely readable, There and Back Again is the behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in the making of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time."
See JW Braun's video book review here and his written review here.

Astin, who has appeared in over 70 film and TV projects including The Goonies, Memphis Belle, Rudy, and the television series 24, is best known for his iconic role as Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee in the hugely successful Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Astin takes on the lead role of detective Leon Weed, who is investigating a ritualistic killing of an elderly Mason. The Freemason marks Astin’s second return to Utah since appearing in the locally-produced film, Forever Strong (2008).

Executive Producer Joseph James, himself a Master Mason, hopes to satisfy the public’s insatiable appetite for the craft’s esoteric realms by allowing outsiders a glimpse into some of the secret society’s mysterious rituals. James explains that “The Freemason is the first film of its kind to highlight actual initiation practices,” including a ritual experience that will surely thrill both Masons and non-Masons alike!

In an article for the Examiner, executive producer Joseph James describes the movie as a murder mystery that crosses Sherlock Holmes with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

The Freemason, which is scheduled to begin filming in Salt Lake City, Utah later this month, will be directed by Sohrab Mirmontazeri. Mirmontazeri was named the “Filmmaker to Watch” by Digital Filmmaker Magazine UK after his film “The Beautiful Wind" garnered the prestigious Audience Choice Award at New York’s International Film Festival.

The movie's web site describes the plot: "When Cyrus, a brilliant but eccentric freelance writer, is hired to investigate the mysterious murder of a wealthy banker, he suddenly finds himself thrust into the cryptic world of Freemasonry. Cyrus quickly learns the killer will strike again if not given an object shrouded by hundreds of years of arcane secrecy. He must embrace ideals extending beyond his natural senses or suffer the same grisly fate of the murdered banker."

Monday, April 8, 2013

Here are excerpts of Sean's Q&A at the Middle East Film and Comic Con, plus photos from the session. Sean talks about several cast members of The Lord of the Ring, including Elijah Wood, Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis and Sean Bean. He also talks about Rudy, Goonies 2 and The Big Bang Theory, and tries out a little Arabic.

Sean Astin was caught by a paparazzi on Sunday afternoon arriving at LAX after an approximately 24 hour trip from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he attended the Middle East Film and Comic Con. Source.

"Sean Astin is all smiles as he arrives at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)."

On Saturday, Gulf News Tabloid posted an article about Friday's press conference at the Middle East Film and Comic Con in Dubai. In it, they selectively quoted Sean Astin's comments about voiceover acting, making it appear as if he disapproved of the craft.

A small kerfuffle arose on Twitter, with some fans and fellow voice actors appalled that Sean would make such a comment. Others rose to his defense. When Sean saw the article, he demanded an immediate retraction and apology. The quote was removed from the article. (No apology has yet been issued.)

To clear up any confusion, Sean granted an interview to Gamevoices, a web site for video game voiceover actors which is reproduced (with added images) below:

About This Blog

"I name before you all Frodo of the Shire and Samwise his servant. And the bards and the minstrels should give them new names: Bronwe athan Harthad and Harthad Uluithiad, Endurance beyond Hope and Hope Unquenchable." —Gandalf in JRR Tolkien's "The History of Middle Earth" Volume 9: Sauron Defeated